Sink with sliding interchangeable food preparation accessories

ABSTRACT

A sink with a back upper tier accessory rail located along the top of the back wall; a front upper tier accessory rail located along the top of the front wall; a back lower tier accessory rail located on the back wall, where the back lower tier accessory rail is lower than the back upper tier accessory rail; a front lower tier accessory rail located on the front wall, where the front lower tier accessory rail is lower than the front upper tier accessory rail; and at least one upper accessory sized to rest on the upper tier accessory rails such that the accessory may slide along the upper tier accessory rails. The sink may further comprise at least one lower accessory sized to rest on the lower tier accessory rails such that the accessory may slide along the lower tier accessory rails. The accessories may include: a cutting board; a platform holding a bowl or colander; a drain rack; a condiment pallet; a cutting board with an induction cook top resting atop the cutting board; or any combination thereof.

CROSS REFERENCE

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a sink, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a sink with sliding interchangeable food preparation accessories.

2. Description of the Related Art

Most kitchens have a sink, a cooking device such as a stove, and counter space for food preparation. These elements may be configured relative to each other in a number of ways, some of which are more convenient for cooking than others. Generally, an arrangement that reduces unnecessary movement in the kitchen is desirable. The problem with most kitchens is that, regardless of the arrangement of the various elements, each area is still separate and movement between the elements is still necessary.

For example, if a user wishes to boil a pot of water, the user generally must fill the pot at the sink and carry it to the cooking device. After cooking, if the user wishes to drain the hot water, such as from pasta, the user must carry the pot of hot water back to the sink. If the user wishes to chop vegetables to be cooked, the user typically must do so at the counter and then carry the vegetables to the cooking device and the waste to the sink.

Based on the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a sink with interchangeable food preparation accessories that allow a user to prepare, cook, and serve food at the sink, thus minimizing the amount of movement around the kitchen required of the user.

It is further desirable for the sink to reduce the amount of space needed in a kitchen by combining a sink, a cooking device, and counter space into one super-functional space.

It is further desirable for the interchangeable food preparation accessories to slide across the sink relative to each other and to the sink to further increase the ease of cooking and the reduction of movement in the kitchen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, in a first aspect, the invention relates to a sink comprising: a bottom, a back wall, a front wall, a right side wall, and a left side wall; a drain in the bottom; a back upper tier accessory rail located along the top of the back wall; a front upper tier accessory rail located along the top of the front a back lower tier accessory rail located on the back wall, where the back lower tier accessory rail is lower than the back upper tier accessory rail; a front lower tier accessory rail located on the front wall, where the front lower tier accessory rail is lower than the front upper tier accessory rail; and at least one upper accessory sized to rest on the back upper tier accessory rail and the front upper tier accessory rail such that the accessory may slide along the back upper tier accessory rail and the front upper tier accessory rail. The sink may further comprise at least one lower accessory sized to rest on the back lower tier accessory rail and the front lower tier accessory rail such that the accessory may slide along the back lower tier accessory rail and the front lower tier accessory rail. The accessories may be: a cutting board; a platform with a hole and a bowl or colander where the bowl or colander has a body with a diameter smaller than the hole in the platform and a lip with a diameter larger than the hole in the platform such that the bowl or colander may extend through the hole in the platform with the lip resting atop the platform; a drain rack; a condiment pallet; or any combination thereof. The at least one upper accessory may be a cutting board, further comprising an induction cook top resting atop the cutting board.

The back wall may have a stair step pattern, such that the back wall extends vertically upward from the bottom, bends at a first height to extend outward horizontally away from the front wall to form the back lower tier accessory rail, bends again to extend vertically upward, and finally bends again at a second height to extend outward horizontally away from the front wall to form the back upper tier accessory rail. The front wall may also have a stair step pattern, such that the back wall extends vertically upward from the bottom, bends at the first height to extend outward horizontally away from the back wall to form the front lower tier accessory rail, bends again to extend vertically upward, and finally bends again at the second height to extend outward horizontally away from the back wall to form the front upper tier accessory rail. The sink may further comprise a sound undercoating and/or sound dampening pads. The sink may further comprising a countertop under which the sink is mounted, a cabinet atop which the countertop is mounted, and at least one drop support cleat attached to the cabinet and supporting the sink. Alternately, the sink may further comprise a sink surround, sink supports attached to the sink surround and supporting the sink, and a cabinet atop which the sink is mounted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an undermount sink capable of incorporating interchangeable food preparation accessories, shown in place in a counter;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the sink of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the sink of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the sink of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the sink of FIG. 3, cut along the lines as indicated;

FIG. 6 is a cross section view of the sink of FIG. 4, cut along the lines as indicated;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an apron front sink capable of incorporating interchangeable food preparation accessories, shown in place in a counter;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the sink of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the sink of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the sink of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a cross section view of the sink of FIG. 9, cut along the lines as indicated;

FIG. 12 is a cross section view of the sink of FIG. 10, cut along the lines as indicated

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a sink with interchangeable food preparation accessories shown in place in the sink, where the sink is shown in place in a counter;

FIG. 14 is a side cut away view of the sink of FIG. 13 showing how accessories may slide within the sink;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a cutting board accessory for use with the sink;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a bowl accessory for use with the sink;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a colander accessory for use with the sink;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a drain rack accessory for use with the sink;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a condiment pallet accessory for use with the sink; and

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an induction cook top accessory for use with the sink.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The devices and methods discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific manners in which to make and use this invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting in scope.

While the devices and methods have been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be noted that many modifications may be made in the details of the construction and the arrangement of the devices and components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. It is understood that the devices and methods are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification.

In general, in a first aspect, the invention relates to a sink 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 14. The sink 1 may be an undermount sink, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, or an apron front sink, as shown in FIGS. 7 through 12. The sink 1 may have a bottom 2, a back wall 3, a front wall 4, a right side wall 5, and a left side wall 6. The sink 1 may have at least one drain 7 located in the bottom 2. The drain 7 may be centered in the bottom 2 of the sink 1. The bottom 2 of the sink 1 may slope downward toward the drain 7 such that the drain 7 is the lowest point of the bottom 2 of the sink 1, thus allowing water and other material to exit the sink 1 via the drain 7 through the action of gravity. FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 13 include broken lines 8 indicating possible locations for angles in the bottom 2 of the sink 1 to produce such a downward slope.

The back wall 3 of the sink 1 may have an upper tier accessory rail 9. The front wall 4 of the sink 1 may have a corresponding upper tier accessory rail 10, such that upper tier accessory rail 9 and upper tier accessory rail 10 are at the same height in the sink 1. Upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 may be located at the top of the sink 1, extending horizontally from the front wall 4 and the back wall 5, respectively, away from the sink 1.

The back wall 3 of the sink 1 may also have a lower tier accessory rail 11. The front wall 4 of the sink 1 may also have a corresponding lower tier accessory rail 12, such that lower tier accessory rail 11 and lower tier accessory rail 12 are at the same height in the sink 1. Lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 may be located near the top of the sink 1, but lower than upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10. Upper tier accessory rail 9 and lower tier accessory rail 11 may form a stair step pattern in back wall 3, as can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 12, such that back wall 3 extends vertically upward from bottom 2, bends to extend outward horizontally away from the sink 1 to form lower tier accessory rail 11, bends again to extend vertically upward, and finally bends again to extend outward horizontally away from the sink 1 to form upper tier accessory rail 9. Likewise, upper tier accessory rail 10 and lower tier accessory rail 12 may form a stair step pattern in front wall 4, also as seen in FIGS. 6 and 12, such that front wall 4 extends vertically upward from bottom 2, bends to extend outward horizontally away from the sink 1 to form lower tier accessory rail 12, bends again to extend vertically upward, and finally bends again to extend outward horizontally away from the sink 1 to form upper tier accessory rail 10.

The sink 1 may be made of stainless steel or any other suitable material. The sink 1 may have a sound undercoating 13 along at least part of the outer sides of the bottom 2, back wall 3, front wall 4, right side wall 5, and left side wall 6. The sink 1 may also have sound dampening pads 14 located below the bottom 2.

The sink 1 may be undermounted to a countertop 15, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 6. The countertop 15 and sink 1 may be mounted atop a cabinet 20, which may comprise a cabinet front 16, a cabinet back 17, cabinet doors 18, cabinet end panels 19, or any combination thereof. The sink may be supported within the cabinet 20 by drop support cleats 21. The countertop 15 may include faucet holes 22, through which faucets 23 may be located.

The sink 1 may have an apron front style, as shown in FIGS. 7 through 13, such that sink 1 is surrounded by sink surround 24 and supported by sink supports 25. The sink surround 24 may be granite, marble, quarts, wood, or any other suitable material. The sink supports 25 may be stainless steel or any other suitable material. The apron front sink 1 may be mounted atop a cabinet 26. The apron front sink 1 may abut a countertop 27, into which faucets 28 may be mounted.

The sink 1 may include one or more sliding interchangeable food preparation accessories, such as a cutting board 29, a cut-out platform 30, a bowl 31, a colander 32, a drain rack 33, a condiment pallet 34, an induction cook top 35, or any combination thereof, including multiple items of the same type. The cutting board 29 may be sized such that it may rest on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 at any desired point along the length of the sink 1 and may slide along upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 toward either the right side wall 5 or the left side wall 6 of the sink 1, as shown in FIG. 14. Alternately, the cutting board 29 may be sized such that it may rest on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 at any desired point along the length of the sink 1 and may slide along lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 toward either the right side wall 5 or the left side wall 6 of the sink 1. The sink 1 may include two or more cutting boards 29, either of the same size or different sizes. The cutting board 29 may function as a cutting board or as counter space.

If one cutting board 29 resting on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 and another cutting board 29 resting on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 are used simultaneously, the cutting board 29 resting on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 may slide under the cutting board 29 resting on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 when not in use. To this end, the distance between upper tier accessory rail 9 and lower tier accessory rail 11, and likewise between upper tier accessory rail 10 and lower tier accessory rail 12, may be greater than the thickness of the cutting board 29 or any other accessory the user desires to use on the lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12.

The cut-out platform 30 may likewise be sized such that it may rest on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 and may slide along upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10, or the cut-out platform 30 may be sized such that it may rest on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 and may slide along lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12. The cut-out platform 30 may have a circular cut-out therein into which the bowl 31 or the colander 32 may fit. The bowl 31 may be used for food preparation or serving, and the colander 32 may be used for draining pasta or preparing fresh food. Preferably, the cut-out platform 30 may be sized such that it may rest on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 so that it may rest or slide along lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 while another accessory, such as cutting board 29 or drain rack 33, rests or slides along upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10, as shown in FIG. 14. This configuration is preferable because the bowl 31 or colander 32 extends downward from the cut-out platform 30 into the sink 1 and would interfere with an accessory on the lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 if the cut-out platform 30 was placed on the upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10.

A cut-out platform 30 that is sized to rest on upper tier accessory rails may be desirable for holding a large bowl 31 or sink basin (not shown). Such a sink basin may have a hole in its bottom for draining water or other material from the sink basin into the sink 1 and may include a stopper to cover the hole when the user desires to retain water or other material in the sink basin. The sink basin may be desirable for jobs requiring a smaller sink than the sink 1, such as washing dishes.

The drain rack 33 may include end pieces 36 and rods 37 extending between end pieces 36. The drain rack 33 may be sized such that the end pieces 36 rest on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 and may slide along upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10, or the drain rack 33 may be sized such that the end pieces 36 rest on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 and may slide along lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12. Preferably, the drain rack 33 may be sized such that it may rest on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 so that it may rest or slide along upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 while another accessory, such as cut-out platform 30 or cutting board 29, rests or slides along lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12. This configuration is preferable because items placed upon the drain rack 33 would interfere with an accessory on the upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 if the drain rack 33 was placed on the lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12.

The condiment pallet 34 may likewise be sized such that it may rest and slide on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 or on lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12. The condiment pallet 34 may have removable containers 38 that may be used to hold individual items during cooking or serving. Each of the removable containers 38 may be shallow or deep, such that the condiment pallet 34 may hold any combination of shallow and deep containers. For example, the condiment pallet 34 may hold six containers 38, three of which are shallow and three of which are deep.

The induction cook top 35 may rest upon the cutting board 29. The induction cook top 35 may be used to cook food at the sink 1. All of the accessories may be housed in the cabinet 20 or 26 or may be stored in a rack hanging above the sink 1.

In use, any number of accessories in any combination may be used as needed for food preparation, cooking, and serving. For example, a user may place a cutting board 29 on upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 and may place an induction cook top 35 on the cutting board 29. The user may then place a pot on the induction cook top 35 and may slide the cutting board along the upper tier accessory rails 9 and 10 until the pot is below a faucet 28. The user may then fill the pot with water from the faucet 28 and begin to boil the water. The user may desire to slide the cutting board 29 with the induction cook top 35 and pot of water back to one end of the sink 1 so that it is out of the way. After cooking pasta in the boiling water, the user may place a cut-out platform 30 holding a colander 32 onto lower tier accessory rails 11 and 12 and position the colander 32 adjacent the cutting board 29. The user may then drain the pasta in the colander 32 without having to carry the pot of hot water across the kitchen. The colander 32 may then be lifted from the cut-out platform 30 to transfer the pasta to another container as desired. At the other end of the sink 1, another user may simultaneously use a colander 32 in a cut-out platform 30 located under a faucet 28 to rinse vegetables and then use another cutting board 29 to chop the vegetables. The user may immediately discard the waste from the vegetables into the sink 1, and may slide the vegetables off of the cutting board 29 and into a bowl 31 housed in a cut-out platform 30 that is adjacent the cutting board 29. The bowl 31 can then be lifted from the cut-out platform 30, if desired. Once the meal is prepared, the user may serve the food from the various accessories, forming a buffet. Alternately, the accessories can be removed from the sink 1 and the sink 1 may be filled with ice to form an iced buffet. After the meal, everything can be cleaned at the sink 1. Throughout preparation, serving, and clean up, movement around the kitchen is minimized due to everything being located at the sink 1.

Whereas, the devices and methods have been described in relation to the drawings and claims, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. 

1. A sink comprising: a bottom, a back wall, a front wall, a right side wall, and a left side wall; a drain in the bottom; a back upper tier accessory rail located along the top of the back wall; a front upper tier accessory rail located along the top of the front wall; a back lower tier accessory rail located on the back wall, where the back lower tier accessory rail is lower than the back upper tier accessory rail; a front lower tier accessory rail located on the front wall, where the front lower tier accessory rail is lower than the front upper tier accessory rail; and at least one upper accessory sized to rest on the back upper tier accessory rail and the front upper tier accessory rail such that the accessory may slide along the back upper tier accessory rail and the front upper tier accessory rail.
 2. The sink of claim 1 where the at least one upper accessory is: a cutting board; a platform with a hole and a bowl or colander where the bowl or colander has a body with a diameter smaller than the hole in the platform and a lip with a diameter larger than the hole in the platform such that the bowl or colander may extend through the hole in the platform with the lip resting atop the platform; a drain rack; a condiment pallet; or any combination thereof.
 3. The sink of claim 1 further comprising at least one lower accessory sized to rest on the back lower tier accessory rail and the front lower tier accessory rail such that the accessory may slide along the back lower tier accessory rail and the front lower tier accessory rail.
 4. The sink of claim 3 where each of the at least one upper accessory and the at least one lower accessory is: a cutting board; a platform with a hole and a bowl or colander where the bowl or colander has a body with a diameter smaller than the hole in the platform and a lip with a diameter larger than the hole in the platform such that the bowl or colander may extend through the hole in the platform with the lip resting atop the platform; a drain rack; a condiment pallet comprising a frame and one or more removable containers; or any combination thereof.
 5. The sink of claim 1 where the at least one upper accessory is a cutting board, further comprising an induction cook top resting atop the cutting board.
 6. The sink of claim 1 where: the back wall has a stair step pattern, such that the back wall extends vertically upward from the bottom, bends at a first height to extend outward horizontally away from the front wall to form the back lower tier accessory rail, bends again to extend vertically upward, and finally bends again at a second height to extend outward horizontally away from the front wall to form the back upper tier accessory rail; and the front wall has a stair step pattern, such that the back wall extends vertically upward from the bottom, bends at the first height to extend outward horizontally away from the back wall to form the front lower tier accessory rail, bends again to extend vertically upward, and finally bends again at the second height to extend outward horizontally away from the back wall to form the front upper tier accessory rail.
 7. The sink of claim 1 further comprising a sound undercoating, sound dampening pads, or both a sound undercoating and sound dampening pads.
 8. The sink of claim 1 further comprising a countertop under which the sink is mounted, a cabinet atop which the countertop is mounted, and at least one drop support cleat attached to the cabinet and supporting the sink.
 9. The sink of claim 1 further comprising a sink surround, sink supports attached to the sink surround and supporting the sink, and a cabinet atop which the sink is mounted. 